Jerkens all business after Travers stunner

Tim Wilki, Times Union

By Tim Wilkin

Published 10:20 pm, Sunday, August 24, 2014

V.E. Day with a very happy jockey Javier Castellano stands with the connections in the winner's circle Saturday afternoon Aug. 23, 2014, after winning the 145th running of the Travers at the Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. (Skip Dickstein/Times Union)

If you were looking for a party at Barn 75 on the Oklahoma Training Track Sunday, you were looking in the wrong place.

Barn 75 is the home of the newest Travers winner, V.E. Day, who upset the Midsummer Derby when he won the race at odds of 19-1. He finished a nose ahead of his more accomplished stablemate, Wicked Strong, who had come into the race off a win in the Jim Dandy on July 26.

There was one sign of victory. The blanket of red and white carnations, which were put on V.E. Day's back after the race, was draped over a wooden post in front of the colt's stall. Wicked Strong, a few stalls down the shedrow, could see them, too.

He had three horses entered on the inaugural New York-bred showcase day, and he won one of them, Star Gazing in the $200,000 Fleet Indian for 3-year-old fillies. He was second with another horse and third with the other.

With seven days left in the meet, Jerkens has had more than a solid summer. He has only started 22 horses, but has nine wins, four seconds and two thirds.

"We've had a good summer," Jerkens said, standing in the shedrow at the barn Sunday morning. "I don't know why it clicks sometimes and sometimes it doesn't. When you are doing good, even the horses who don't figure run good."

In the biggest race of the Spa meet, both of Jerkens' horses ran big ones. It was exepcted Wicked Strong would show up, because he was a veteran of the Triple Crown and had been so impressive in the Jim Dandy. V.E. Day played off Broadway, winning the ungraded Curlin here earlier on July 25.

Jerkens was so impressed with the win — the colt came from behind to win by a length — that he felt obligated to give him a chance. The Travers was V.E. Day's first graded stakes race.

"It was a little uncomfortable, having horses in the race for two owners," Jerkens said. "But both of them (Don Little, the managing partner of Centennial Farms, which owns Wicked Strong, and Magalen Bryant, who owns V.E. Day) understood the situation. What are you gonna do? You can't deny one of them a chance to run in a race like that if you have a shot."

Jerkens said he was a bit surprised that it was V.E. Day who got his nose under the finish line right before Wicked Strong. But only a little. He said both horses' training had been spectacular in the time since their last races.

He thought he was leading over two special horses.

"I would have been surprised if both of them had not shown up," Jerkens said. "They were doing so well in the mornings here. I mean, you never know with horses."

Jerkens said he has not made any plan on where either horse will run next. He also said there is a chance they could both appear in the same starting gate again. A logical spot for one, or both, would be the $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont on Sept. 27. There will be time to sort that out.

On Sunday, Jerkens was stopped more than once for interviews and that made him smirk. There was work to be done. However, after a few minutes of talking about the Travers, there were smiles, too.